Teeth separator



June 30, 1942; Q M|zzY TOOTH sannmoa ,Fil'ed Nov. 23, 1940 INVENTOR. HLBERT 0. M/ZZY BY Patented June 30, 1942 umrs 2,288,011 'rnnrrr ss raaa'roa Albert D. Mizzy, New York, N. Y. Application November 23, 194i), Serial No. 366,835

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to teeth separators of the type used when separation is to be effected by the grinding off of a part of one or both of two adjacent teeth.

Heretofore such grinding has been effected by disks or strips of cord or like flexible material coated on one side with an abrasive substance. As is well known, such disks or strips commonly crumple and collapse under pressure on catching on a tooth or by wetting thereof, thus necessitating frequent replacements, and often cut the gum or other parts of the mouth when crumpled.

An object of the invention is a. separator in which a blade of flexible material is positively held and secured taut against crumpling or collapse, and in which the mount of the blade may be Such as will permit of easy and sure insertion and manipulation of the separator in any part of the mouth, and will provide for quick and easy interchange of blades.

A further object of the invention is a separator, of the character mentioned, which is of simple and durable structure; and the blade car be of one-piece construction,

rier of which may produceable in quantity at little cost by the stamping and bending of sheet metal.

Since the separator of the present invention permits of no orumpling of the blade, or of mouth injuries such as crumpling of blades, less guard against cuts is required of the dentist; and, without risk of injury, the blade may be made of harder and tougher material than heretofore employed. It may, for instance, be of thin sheet steel or and thus be waterproof and durable. Such a blade may require no replacement during an operation other than when an abrading surface of different texture is desired. If of metal, the

' blade may be cleaned and re-used in subsequent operations, as are razor blades.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the assembled separator.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end view looking from the left of E Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an end view looking from the right of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a View in frame or holder.

perspective of the carrier have heretofore resulted from I other metal,

Fig. 6 is a side view of the assembly of blade and guard plate therefor.

Fig. '7 is a view of the unassembled.

Referring to the drawing, the device is shown as comprising a frame or holder Ii! for an abrading blade ll, and for two guard plates 12 and i3, for the blade. The holder or carrier ill (see Fig. 5) is an open ended, three sided frame or panel comprising a central reach it and two legs l4 and i5 protruding at right angles from the ends of the part It. The part it is shown as of inverted U shaped cross section, and the side Walls of the legs it and id are extensions of the front and rear walls of the part lfi, crossconnested at their extremities by parts I1 and I8 which serve as abutments or supports for the blade Ii and guard plates 12 and it. The legs l4 and i5 are thus of stirrup formation. When blade and guard plates,

the blade and its guard plates are mounted in g the holder or carrier it, the abrading surface of the blade I l is exposed through a window formed by the frame parts it, it and iii of the holder.

Ears 0r wings E9 and 29, one on each of the frame parts l4 and It, at the left hand end of the holder I9, together form an expanded pressure surface forthe thumb or finger of the operator, whereby to push the device as a whole longitudinally in one direction. It will be noted that the ears l9 and 2d are flared outwardly and laterally so as to define a pocket whereby to center the finger or thumb on the device and to prevent slip of the finger or thumb therefrom.

Inv Fig. l are shown the pair of side guards l2 and i3 for the abrasive blade ll. There are cut-outs in the plates 12 and l3 which register with and are of the same dimensions and shape as the cut-out formed by the three sides of the holder ill, so that the abrasive surface of the blade may be exposed through either side of the separator. Preferably, only one surface of the blade is abrasive: the other surface may be smooth. The plate H, see Fig. 7, is shown as latter. The fit of the pins 2| having pins 2i protruding from one face thereof, one near each end thereof, in the direction of the plate It. The blade H has a pair of holes 22 therethrough adapted to register with and to receive the pins 2i; and the plate It has a similar pair of holes 23 also in registry with the pins 2|. The pins 2! are of length to pass through both the blade H and the plate l3 and to terminate flush with the outer surface of the in holes 22 and 23 is such as to prevent shift of the blade with respect to its guard plates and the pins 2| hold the blade taut when the device is assembled.

Each of the plates l2 and I 3 is provided at its right hand end with an ear or wing, 24 and 25. These serve the same purpose at the right hand end of the assembled device as do the wings or ears Iii-29 at the left hand end thereof. The device as a whole may therefore be held and operated by thumb pressure on the ears at one end of the same, and by opposed finger pressure on the ears at the other end thereof. The ears 2425 on the blade guards also serve as means whereby the blade and guard assembly shown in Fig. 6 may be inserted into and removed from the frame piece H] of Fig. 5.

As will be noted from the severalfigures of the drawing, the blade and guard assembly of Fig. 6 is of length, width and height to fit snugly in the frame member ID between the roof, side walls and parts l1|8 of the latter. Frictional engagement of the guard plates new with the inside faces of the frame member!!! prevents accidental displacement ofthe blade and guard assembly from home position in the'carrier H]. A push fit of the blade and guard assembly Within the holder may suiiice forthis purpose. However, the side walls of the leg l4 may be slightly sprung to effect a clamping action thereof on the end of the blade and guard assembly, more securely to hold the latter against accidental longitudinal shift in the carrier.

If an abrasive blade becomes worn or when a blade of different abrasive texture is to be substituted for a blade previously in use, the blade assembly is removed as a unit from the carrier I by a pull on the ears 2425. The guard plate I2 which carries the lock pins 2| is then lifted from the blade previously in use, and the newly selected. blade, together with the guard l3, placed upon the pins 2|; whereupon the new assembly is forced into the carrier [0 by pressure upon the ears 242 5.

The blade H is thin and flexible, and is preferably of sheet steel or other material which is hard, tough and waterproof. It is held taut in the carrier. ID by the pins 2| of the guard plate 22, and therefore cannot fold or crumple. Preferably only one side of the blade is abrasive: the other side is smooth, and so cannot hurt tooth, gum or tongue accidentally coming into contact therewith. All, edges of the blade, except the-free or working edge, thereof, are completely covered by legs I4 and I5 and part l6 of the carrier I0, and so cannot strike or cut the mouth. The blade, if of metal, cannot be in- Jured in any proper use of the separator, and will normally require no renewal during an operation. If substitution of a blade of different be effected easily and expeditiously. After use, the metal blade may be cleansed, sterilized, and re-used indefinitely in subsequent operations.

'It will be understood that the drawing is illustrative of one embodiment of the invention only, and that, within the scope of the invention, widely varying styles of structure and assembly may be had.

I claim:

1. A tooth separator, comprising a blade having an abrading face, a guard for the blade having means for positively holding the blade thereto, an open ended carrier having a base abutment for the assembled blade and guard and over which abutment the assembled blade and guard may be slid into the carrier from one end of the latter, and finger pieces at each end of the carrier whereby to effect a reciprocatory movement of the separator in the mouth, one of said finger pieces being on the carrier at one end of the latter and another of said finger pieces being on the guard at the other end of the carrier.

2. In a tooth separator, a blade having a pin hole therethrough and having an abrading face,

and a guard comprising two plates adapted to be setagainst opposite faces of the blade, one of said plates having a pin hole therethrough for-registry with the pin hole in the blade, and the other of said plates having a pin projecting therefrom for passage through the pin holes in 3. In a tooth separator, a blade having an abrading surface, a guard for the blade having a detent thereon for interlockment of blade and guard upon face-to-face placement of blade of said guard when the assembly is seated on the first abutment, and means on the carrier for holding the blade against the guard and for holding the assembled blade and guard against said second abutment, the carrier having an end opening through which the assembly may be inand moved longitudinally thereof over said first named abutment to its home, or operative, position in the carrier.

4. In a tooth separator, a blade having an abrading surface, a guard for the blade having a detent thereon for interlockment of blade and guard upon face-to-face placement of blade against guard, and a carrier for the assembly of blade and ALBERT D. MIZZY. 

